Things to Do with Overripe Bananas

I for one do not shy away from brown and overripe bananas. While average consumers turn up their noses at brown spotty bananas at the grocery store, I do a little happy dance. Overripe bananas are great and should never be thrown away because there are so many uses for them. Here are a few suggestions:

Smoothie base—What is a great smoothie without a ripe banana? Freeze overripe bananas in small pieces, and use in smoothies to make them perfectly creamy and sweet.

Banana ice cream—Throw frozen overripe bananas into a vitamixer or a food processor with a little milk, and blend until it’s smooth and fluffy. Voila! You have the world’s best, healthy soft serve vegan ice cream (known as “nice cream”). It’s a crowd pleaser for sure, and you can add all kids of flavors like cocoa powder, peanut butter for this amazing nice cream, frozen strawberries or (my personal favorite) frozen mangos.

Banana bread—On a cold morning, nothing tastes better than a cup of coffee and a slice of banana bread. And overripe bananas make great banana bread.

Frozen banana pops—This is such easy to make treat that my kids absolutely love.

Face mask—No, you read that right. Banana is filled with minerals, making it perfect for a creamy and great facemask that will make your skin sing. It works great on dry, mature and oily skin alike. Here are three great recipes.

About Green Mom

Fredrica Syren, the author and founder of Green-Mom.com, was born in Sweden. Her mother was a classically trained chef who introduced her to many eclectic flavors and skills at a young age. Her mom’s passion for the outdoors and gardening planted the seed for her own love of nature and healthy eating.
She received a degree in journalism and has worked as a print, Internet and broadcasting journalist for many years with big businesses within Europe and the United States. After her mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she with pre-cancer, Fredrica changed her career to become a full time yoga teacher and activist. A longtime world traveler, foodie and career woman, she was exposed to many facets of life, but nothing inspired her more than becoming a mom. After her first-born, Fredrica began a food blog focusing on local, seasonal, organic & vegetarian dishes. Years of food blogging developed into the cookbook Yummy in My Tummy, Healthy Cooking for the Whole Family.
Upon the arrival of her second child, Fredrica founded Green-Mom.com. Her vision was to establish a site providing insight about gardening, home and personal care, baby & child, and of course food & nutrition. Green-Mom.com hosts many talented writers shedding light on ways to incorporate eco-friendly and nutritious practices for busy families. She is an advocate for organic, local and sustainable businesses. Fredrica hopes to inspire social change through her lifestyle, passion and business.
Fredrica lives with her husband James Harker-Syren and their three children in San Diego, CA.